Fans V Critics: Dawn of A Franchise

There is a war going on between DC fanboys and critics! This is why I invited my friend Jesus Valadez to talk about this matter. This is my 2nd guest on here, first being Joseph ‘Joey’ Nunes with his post, Golden Age the Beginning of Green Lantern. Check out that one and let’s hop into this post Mr. Valadez wrote for us!

Written by Jesus Valadez (ONLY edited by owner of website/blog)

Suicide Squad is officially now in theaters and during it’s opening weekend, it managed to bring in an impressive record breaking $135 million dollars which became the biggest opening weekend in the month of August thus dethroning the previous record holder, Guardians of the Galaxy so quite an accomplishment from them.

But despite the money it earned the film was met with harsh and negative reviews from critics and is currently sitting on a 26% on Rotten Tomatoes which is quite shocking since the movie wasn’t really that bad.

After the reviews hit, many fans were generally upset by this since this is the 3rd DCEU movie that has gotten a rotten score on the website. But the most surprising thing about this is that this has made some fans so angry that they decided to take matters into their own hands by launching a petition to shut down the Rotten Tomatoes website because apparently they believe Rotten Tomatoes has some sort of bias against DCEU movies.

Not kidding everyone, that’s a thing that’s literally a thing now. Just like the petition to “Stop Marvel From Paying Critics” this is also a thing now. And can I please be the first to say….Why? Is this really necessary? Are you guys really so upset about something like this that you guys are just gonna launch a petition every time things don’t go your way? *sighs* look guys I get it! You’re upset and I can see why because all of you have been wanting a DC movie universe for quite awhile now, I as well but launching a petition to shut down Rotten Tomatoes? Isn’t that a bit extreme? You know some people may make a rant about a topic like this but I’m not cause you know why? I’m done with all the craziness. I’m done with the arguing, I’m done with the madness, and I’m done with the fighting. So that’s why I’ve decided to make this post in order to explain to you guys why this has gotten out of hand. Hopefully I can be able to get through you guys so starting right now therapy is now in session.

So now let us begin.

A War No One Will Win

Ever since the start of the DCEU, all their movies have been panned by critics and given low scores on Rotten Tomatoes making many fans outraged by this. As of now Man of Steel was given a 55% on the website and some fans weren’t pleased by this but it didn’t cause anything drastic until 3 years later when we saw the arrival of BVS. That movie was THE most hyped film of 2016, everyone was getting ready for Batman and Superman to finally meet together on the big screen along with the cinematic introduction of Wonder Woman. Many fans were excited by this and everyone thought this would be the definitive comic book movie hands down….but then came the reviews and they were not pretty. The film was absolutely bashed by critics. It was ripped apart, torn to shreds, utterly being destroyed, shown absolutely no mercy and this is where things got pretty ugly.

Many fans have cried outrage and even started declaring the critics to have some sort of agenda against DC movies and this became even worse when reviews for Suicide Squad hit online. So now this “critic flame war” as some are calling it, has gotten out of hand. What’s shocking is that some fans have made and launched a petition to shut down Rotten Tomatoes due to it being considered the “enemy” of DCEU movies but what’s insane is it’s ACTUALLY getting signatures.

Like I said previously isn’t this a bit too far? Now I’m not defending Rotten Tomatoes because I agree BVS and SS don’t deserve the ratings they got but saying a website should be shut down? No wait that’s not how Rotten Tomatoes works because Rotten Tomatoes rounds up all critics scores and shows how many critics liked a movie. Rotten Tomatoes is not a score board, it’s just telling you people how many critics liked a film. Now let’s just take a step back and take a breather to think about this.

Do you guys honestly believe that critics actually are some sort of villains with an eye patch on one eye and pet their white cats while going, “How low should I rank this DC movie? Muhahahaha”. Cause if so then I’m gonna let you in on a secret:

There is no bad guy. It’s as simple as that. There. Is. No. Bad. Guy. Critics are just people who review a movie and give their thoughts on it. That’s it, that’s all they do. No matter what type of movie it is, superhero, science fiction, drama, horror, romance, comedy they don’t care what genre it is because to them it’s just another movie they got to review like all the others. Superhero movies aren’t any different to them. Like I said I’m not defending critics because I usually disagree with their reviews on movies most of the time. Simply, it’s that they are not super evil villains thinking of a way of how low they are gonna score a DC film. If you wanna disagree with critics then that’s fine, but don’t do something extremely unnecessary and over the top. These actions make you look uncivilized but in all honesty critics don’t care whether you hate them or not. Critics are still gonna go to a movie and review it whether you like it or not because you know why? Cause it’s their JOB. So please, stop trying to pick fights with them ’cause if you don’t care what they say about a film then they aren’t gonna care what us fans have to say. Besides, they probably have more important and better things to do than waste their time fighting us, fans.

And yeah I’m aware that critic reviews usually depends on how well a movie does at the box office(unless you’re the Transformers movies)and trust me I want this franchise to keep moving forward as well but simply complaining about a movie getting bad reviews won’t solve anything. We just have to wait and see how this franchise goes, until then remember to just keep a calm mind otherwise this whole fiasco will soon turn into World War III. And I’m pretty sure that’s the last thing any of us want.

Not Everyone Reads Comics

So it has come to my attention that apparently the DCEU is only “just for comic fans” as it was stated by Zack Synder and company as well as several other fans saying they are only for fans and should stay that way….

Ok I guess that’s….reasonable, kinda, I don’t know. Either way have you ever stopped and thought maybe the reason these movies get low scores and under perform at the box office is because they basically have mainly focus on fan service instead of telling a story that EVERYONE can get behind? Did you ever question yourself not everyone reads comics like we do and so they might get lost in those movies because there’s stuff in there they aren’t gonna understand? I can’t be the only one who knows this. The average moviegoer equally has a right to see a comic book movie like us fans because they deserve to be entertained as well. So what I’m saying is….

Don’t Be Selfish!

Stop thinking of just yourselves instead, think of the average moviegoer and question yourselves if they will really like this movie as much as you would. I guess a better way to help you understand what I’m talking about is this: let’s just pretend, for a minute, that you guys have NEVER read a comic book in your life not even once. Then, ask yourselves this, would you have really enjoyed or even loved those DCEU movies IF you have never read the source material in your entire life? Be honest. Would you have actually understand what was going on in those movies if you didn’t know the history of the comics?

Cause I for one know I wouldn’t. I would probably get lost in those movies if I have never read comics in my life and I’m pretty sure you folks wouldn’t have understood those movies as well if you have never known the source material. So in a way do you see why critics may not like those films? There’s too much unfamiliarity that goes into these films which takes away from the main story. Let’s not kid ourselves everyone, those films may be good COMIC BOOK movies but films in GENERAL, they are at least average at best. I mean come on, they are NOWHERE near the same level as the Godfather and this can apply to the MCU as well. They make great movies but just aren’t on that level. In fact NO comic book movie, either Marvel or DC, will ever be as legendary as the Godfather heck even the Dark Knight has got nothing on that film.

So in all honesty, if WB keeps making films “just for fans” then of course critics are gonna continue giving these films low scores because they don’t know this stuff like we do. They want a story they can UNDERSTAND and not just two hours of fan service only people like us will know. If WB really wants to impress critics and audiences then they need to STOP making this movies accessible only to “just fans” otherwise non-comic readers will just leave the theater utterly confused and lost. WB has to learn a DC movie can have a strong opening weekend thanks to die hard fans, but their films have to be accessible to EVERYONE in order to be successful in the long run otherwise these films will keep underperforming at the box office. People will get confused by them and not wanna see them again. Let’s just hope Wonder Woman and Justice League is accessible to everyone, next year.

Disney ISN’T Paying Critics

(Lord, help me get through this)Wow. That’s all I have to say to this because I am literally speechless. I can’t believe this is….this is a thing. I can’t believe there are actually people who really believe Disney, a successful empire which has better and more important things to do, is actually paying off critics to bash DC movies……….

*Breathes heavily* Why? Just why? Why is this a thing? HOW did this become a thing? Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past couple of months, people are aware of the infamous conspiracy that somehow Disney is paying off 200+ critics just to hate on a competitor’s movie so they can be the only game in town………

Ok, I’m just gonna come out and say the thing everyone is thinking to say: DISNEY. IS. NOT. PAYING. CRITICS. They are not paying critics to hate a DC movie because why would they worry? The MCU has already reached 10 billion dollars and do you know how many years it will take for the DCEU to make that kind of money? By the time they reach 10 billion dollars, the MCU would probably gain 20 billion. For goodness sake I have never heard such a ridiculous conspiracy since the time I heard some people believe the moon is made out of cheese. You know not only is it sad some people are pinning the blame on critics for trashing the DCEU but now they are bringing Disney/Marvel into this too? Who are you gonna blame next when another DCEU movie is giving a rotten rating? The United States Government? I’m so sorry for sounding mean but how many more people are you gonna draw into this little war of yours? Cause guess what?

THERE. IS. NO. WAR.

There is no conflict. There is no villain. And there is no one that’s against you guys. This is all in your head everyone. Could it be possible that maybe you guys were so mad at how badly the DCEU was doing that you thought you had enemies all around you? Is it possible that you have this habit whenever things don’t go your way you simply blame someone else for it even though they had nothing to do with this at all? If so then I truly worry this is how you act all the time. You’re basically saying Disney is Hydra and Hollywood is Shield, that somehow Disney infiltrated Hollywood and have control of almost anything that goes on in there. Point is let me list the 3 main reasons as to why Disney HASN’T, ISN’T, and will NEVER do such a ridiculous thing.

Reason 1

IF Disney was doing this(which they aren’t)then they would be just hurting the superhero genre as a whole.The average moviegoer doesn’t even know the difference between a Marvel and DC movie. What I mean by that is the majority of people aren’t aware there are two types of different superhero universes. For instance sometimes when I go to the theaters I hear people say, “I wonder if the Avengers are gonna show up in this” and then they’re watching Captain America: Civil War and ask “why didn’t Batman show up?” They don’t know the concept between a Marvel and a DC. Neither do the critics care because to them it’s just another movie like all the rest. Here’s an example of what I’m talking about. After BVS came out and was met with negative reviews, Pre-Orders for Civil War tickets actually started decreasing and you know why? Because it’s cause and effect. Whatever ever happens to a DC movie also affects a Marvel movie. They are both part of the superhero genre and if one movie fails, the other is sure to follow. They are like yin and yang, only together can these two companies give us something real beautiful because in reality these two need one another in order for this genre to survive.

So I’m pretty sure Disney wouldn’t do something that would harm a genre like this.

Reason 2

Do you guys have any idea how much trouble, both finical and legal, Disney would be in if a critic was to come out and say, “Yeah Disney is paying me, here’s my contract and everything”? Do you know Disney would be risking the jobs of MILLIONS of workers who work in every branch of their cooperation just for pulling a stunt like this? And just for what? So a competition’s movie can do badly? Disney would NEVER do something so extremely risky as that. For bribing critics with buckets of money, Disney would be SHUTDOWN and MILLIONS of workers would be jobless, this also includes Marvel, Lucasfilm, ABC and more. Since they are part of the Disney family now this will affect them too. You really think Disney would risk the jobs of their employers over a silly little thing like that?

Reason 3

Like I said the MCU is a 10 billion dollar franchise that would take years for the DCEU to reach that kind of money. Marvel had a 5 year head start while DC started their universe not too long ago. At this rate the DCEU may take 10 years to reach that kind of money while Marvel would’ve reached 20. Marvel not only has movies at their disposal but they also have shows that are apart of that universe so the DCEU will never dethrone the MCU as the biggest franchise ever. And that is the truth guys I’m sorry but it is.

Now do you guys understand why Disney would never do such a thing? Have I finally convinced you guys why this conspiracy is just idiotic and stupid? If not then please listen, stop saying Disney is paying critics because it just makes you people look immature. I’m sorry but someone had to say this. I-M-M-A-T-U-R-E. Immature. Not only that but it’s also making you people look like a loon. And I’m not the only one who thinks this. Just look at what some people are saying about fans who actually believe this nonsense.

Look what you brought upon yourselves everyone. This is how the DC fan base is looked down upon by many. You guys are turning your own fan base into a joke. You people have become your own worst enemy. And not only that but if you don’t stop this madness(blaming critics and Disney)it will be reflected upon the ENTIRE comic community because pretty soon people will think this is how all comic fans act making us look like childish maniacs to them. So that’s why I’m only going to warn you guys once:

Please stop this madness before you people destroy the entire comic community within itself.

So if you folks wanna still continue trashing on critics or blame Disney for the rotten scores DC movies are giving, then fine I’m not stopping you guys, go ahead, do whatever you want, why should I care if you get turned into a laughing stock and trust me folks the last thing you want in your life is to become a laughing stock by everyone around you. I don’t know if guys need some sort of reality check or something but I think it’s time to be mature about this. It’s time to grow up everyone. Otherwise you’re gonna make yourselves and the rest of us look bad and nobody wants that to happen.

I’m disappointed since this is how some fans choose to behave. It makes me question if this is how they have always behaved their entire life and if so then here’s some advice for you: take a long good look in the mirror and ask yourself this, “Is this how you wanna be seen for the rest of your life, someone who complains whenever something doesn’t go their way and eventually be nothing but a laughing stock?”. I’m gonna give you guys a quote that was given by our 16th president, Abraham Lincoln as to what would happen if this conflict were to continue on.

So, I should clarify Jesus Valadez originally wrote this on a comic book community app called, Amino Comics which is why it sounds more personal. He is also a more younger individual. I only edited some of his writing to further fit a casual reader. I thought I should provide more opinions other than mine on this blog. It’s a cool little idea I thought of, let me know if you want more of other opinionated voices or you’re good with just mine or you just don’t care. Peace!